Love your mom by minding distance

B.C.’s provincial health officer is encouraging people to celebrate their moms outside at a safe distance on Mother’s Day.

Dr. Bonnie Henry asked British Columbians to show their mothers love by ensuring they do everything they can to keep them safe, which still means maintaining a safe physical distance with those beyond your household.

“If she’s not part of your household, spend time with her outdoors,” she said in her COVID-19 update on Saturday.

British Columbians can look forward to expanding their social contacts next week, from about 30% of normal contacts to about 60%. Officials haven’t put a cap on the amount of people you can bring into your circle, and are instead encouraging people to follow public health guidance and make decisions for themselves based on their individual level of risk.

“The choices you make about expanding your social circle will depend on your age, your occupation and the health of the people that you live with,” Premier John Horgan said Wednesday. “The key is only small gatherings.”

Henry stressed the importance of continuing to avoid close physical contact with mothers and other family members and friends if they have underlying conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.

She announced 15 new cases in the province, for a total of 2,330. The Island Health region has 125 cases, with no new ones reported Saturday. There are 871 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, 1,098 in Fraser Health, 180 in Interior Health and 56 in the northern region.

Sixty-nine people are hospitalized in B.C. because of COVID-19, with 21 in intensive care. Two more people have died of COVID-19, bringing the total to 129. More than 70% of people with confirmed COVID-19 in the province have recovered.